Filter



Oct. 2l, 1947. r. A. LA BREcQuE 2,429,321

FILTER Filed Ilarch 27, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 27 23 f INVENTOR BYrfi/Maf MMMN m Oct. 21, 1947.

T. A. LA BRECQUE FILTER 4 vSheets-Sheet 2 Filed Ilarch 27, 1943 Oct. 2l,1947. T. A. LA BRECQUE 2,429,321

FILTER Filed #arch 27, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

Hada/ la feryuz BMWQW @www Oct. 2l, 1947. T, A. LA BRL-:cour:

FILTER Filed March 27, 19434k 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V HV TOR.

Patented Oct". 2l, 1947 amsn mmm Theodore La Brecdue, Elmira. N. Y.,assignor to The Hilliard Corporation, Elmira, N. Y., a corporation ofNew York Application March 27, 1943, Serial No. 480,755

schim. (Cielo-lss) This invention relates to a filter and has Darticularadaptability as an oil filter used for purilying lubricating oils usedin Diesel, gasoline, and other engines and for the purification ofinsulating industrial oils of various kinds such as used in hydraulicpresses, wire drawing machines, etc.

It is an object of this invention to provide a filtering unit which maybe directly connected to the lubricating system of engines or otherequipment for continuous or intermittent filtering with the oil beingforced through the filter by the pressure of the engine system ifadequate. or by a separate pumping system. The same unit may, ifdesired, be used for batch filtering.

It is a major object to provide such a unit having a novel filtercartridge permitting the use of low cost lterlng materials and beingconstructed for great ease in the changev of the filtering material andthe cleaning of the unit.

It is a further object to provide such a unit wherein filters oi'varying capacities may be provided by the utilization of a standardlightweight, easily handled filter cartridge adapted for placement ineither single or multiple assemblies. as desired.

A still further object of the inventiony is the provision of a novelfilter unit of high efnciencyl due to the novel arrangement whereby theheat from the clean outgoing oil may be transferred` to the unfilteredincoming cil.

A still further object is the provision of a novelA filtering cartridgein which the filtering materials can be readily changed and in whichonly the filtering material actually used is discarded. No metal orextra bindings or securing means of any kind need be discarded.

A still further object is the provision of a novel filtering device inwhich, on removal of the filter cartridge, no mixing of the uncleanedoil with the clean oil occurs. These and many other objects of thisinvention will be apparent from consideration of the drawings, and thedescription which follows.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a vertical cross section through a filteringunit utilizing a single filter cartridge.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. l and showing the detailsof construction of the filter fabric clamp.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section cartridge assembly, and

Fig. 4 is a view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a. cross sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3showing the details of the multiple filter heat exchanger.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation partly in section of the cartridge out ofthe container and in place on a service rack.

Fig. 'l is a front elevation of the service rack of a multiple" andcartridge altera portion of the cartridge assembly has been removed. a

From Fig. l it will be seen that the unit comprises generally anexterior housing Il! vhaving a suitable base portion i I. This housingis pref- 'erably of cylindrical shape although yother desired shapes maybe used, and is formed of any suitable metal or other material. Securedwithin this housing in any suitable manner is thecylindrical oilcontalnerfor casing .generally referred to as i2 and which comprises abottom portion i3 and cover Il. Centrally positioned in and secured tothe oil casingl2 is thedrain tube I9 extending upwardly from Athe bottomof the container I3 andpreferably extending throughthe opening It in thecover. This tube is`provided near its upper portion with 'an inletopening'or ,open-ings I1 and near its lower portion with an outletopening Il. Positioned above vtheoutlet Il and dividing the oil casinginto a` lower compartment i9 and an upper compartment 2li is a' throughits opening. As indicated, the open` ing 29 is disposed immediatelybeneath the-plate 2|, thereby insuring that said plate is in contactwith the oil in the outflow chamber I9, to be subject to the temperaturecondition therein. 1f desired, the control for the volume of flow may beprovided for in the outlet line 25 rather than the inlet line 22 bymeans of placing-therein an adjustable valve or orifice. Suitable drains21 and 29 are provided respectively for-the lower compartment I9 andupper compartment 20 and may be controlled by any suitable valves.

To provide for the proper filtering and cleaning of the oil, a filtercartridge assembly is placed in .the oil container so that thev oilpassing from vthe inlet orifice 2l into the drain opening i1 and thenceto the lower compartment I9 must pass through said filter cartridge.

This filter cartridge unit generally referred to as 29 is, in thepreferred form, of `general cylindrical configuration and of a size andweight so that when completely filled with a filtering material and insaturated condition it may, never'- theless. be readily handled andserviced. The

entire cartridge 29 is retained by suitable means so that it may beremoved as a unit and then readily opened, serviced and replaced,

As shown, the filter cartridge unit comprises an elongated tube or core30 whose internal diameter is somewhat larger than the external diameterof drain tube l5 so that when the tube is placed over the drain tube i5a space 3i is provided through which oil may flow. The tube or core 30is formed with a suitable number of openings J2 which communicate withAspace 3|. Welded or otherwise secured at a position slightly above thebottom or end of said core 30 is a circular base 33 provided at itsperiphery with an upwardly extending flange 34. A perforated supportingmember 35 is adapted to be placed within the base 33 and is retainedfrom outward movement by the upstanding flange 34. This supportingmember preferably takes the form of a perforated or meshed steel basketand is formed by rolling a mesh steel wire into a cylindrical shape.This basket acts to retain the flannel tube or other holding lmeans 34into which the filtering material Il, which may be fullers earth orother suitable substance, is placed.

Before describing the manner of inserting the flannel tube within thebasket and then securing the entire cartridge assemblyin place, I willnrst describe the assembly of the filter fabric around the central coreI0 because in asembly that will be the more natural sequence ofoperations.

As previously pointed out. the central core y80 is provided with one ormore openings yI2. Surrounding this coreand acting as a spacer is a wiremesh screen Il. Wound about that wire in one or more convolutions is afilter fabric or material 39 which may consistofflannel. paper, or othersuitable material capable of preventing the passage oi' filter substance31 therethrough and yet permitting oil passage. In order to secure aproper winding and centering of the filter fabric I9 on the core 30,Athat core is provided with spaced centering projections 40 and 4|between which the fabric may be wound.

After the fabric has been wound about the core, and in order to secureit in place, clamping means generally referred to by the numeral 42 areused for its retention Taking Figs. 1 and 2 together, 'the constructionof this clamping means will be clear. This clamp consists of a series ofspaced slit rings, the spe` ciiic clamp illustrated comprising three,each made of two semi-circular flat bands 44 hinged on one side by meansof the'hinge structure 45. One of the bands preferably extends tounderlie the other band when in clasped position. On the opposite sidefrom the hinge are two rigid fiat bars 46 preferably metal, which extendat right angles to the securing bands 42 and are each connectedrespectively to three of the semicircular bands. These bars 46preferably have notches 41 of a depth sumcient to receive the bands sothat the inner surface of said bands may lie flush with the inner faceor edge of the bars. The bars 46 are provided at suitable spacing withholes 48 adapted to receive securing means such as that of the nut andbolt 49 shown in Fig. 2.

It will be seen that by placing this clamping structure over the coreafter the filter fabric has been wound about it, that a very suitableclamping of the fabric is obtained. The edges of vertically disposedbars 46 press throughout their length against the filter fabric andthereby provide a good seal so that particles of dirt and loose filtermaterial 31 will not find their way through the lines of fold of thefilter fabric material.

Now that the central tube of the cartridge assembly has been properlywound and secured, the

next step, as has been previously mentioned, is the placing of thebasket structure I5 in place. As will readily be seen, this basketstructure is for the `purpose of providing a means of holding thefilteringr material in place. `This filtering material may consist ofvarious substances such as fuller's earth, processed cotton waste, woodpulp. etc. This filtering material may come in made-up cartridges readyfor insertion into the basket structure, or the users may desire tosecure the filtering material in bulk and to refill the filter from thatbulk material. The structure of Fig. 1 is a preferred type of structurewhich permits the operator to use bulk ltering material such as fullersearth or cotton waste and to replace the lter material on the iob.

This structure has many advantages of economy and servicing and has beenfound highly desirable in use. An open tube 3l of canvas, flannel,paper, or other material suitable to hold the iiitering material usedand yet capable of passing oil therethrough is provided. This tubularmember is placed inside of the supporting basket Il and is then turnedback on itself at both the bottom 50 and the top Il of the supportingmember l5 and then extended for a short distance along the side of thesupporting member as shown at 52 and Il. This basket and tube are thenplaced on the base Ihe cartridge is then ready to receive the nlteringmaterial $1 which is placed therein in any suitable manner. Thereafter,the cover member 54 of the cartridge assembly is placed in position withits central opening 55 receiving the tube or core Il and its flanges 56engaging the downwardly turned fabric Il. Due to this turning of thefabric tube back on itself, the fabric acts as a seal or gasket at itspoint of contact adjacent the base ll and the cover 54 of the cartridgeassembly.

Thereafter wing nut 51 is threaded on to the upper end of the core 3landis tightened so as to hold the cover securely in position and to providefor a tight gasket seal both with the base Il and the cover 54, Afterthe securing of this nut. the filter cartridge unit can be handled u asingle unit and placed in position over the central drain tube. It willbe observed that near the lower portion or bottom of the drain tube astop 58 is secured thereto. Placed on top of that stop and between itand the bottom end of the core 30 is a gasket 59. It will thus be seenthat this gasket acts as a seal to prevent unfiltered oil from enteringinto the space 3|.

In order to hold the cartridge unit in position and so that the sealagainst the gasket 59 may be maintained. a wing nut il in threadedengagement with the central core or drain tube is provided and,preferably positioned between the wing nut 51 and the cartridgeassembly, is a gasket 6i.

If desired, supporting spacers 62 may be positioned between the draintube and the surrounding core. It is apparent that by the use of suchsupporting spacers the surrounding core may be fabricated from lighter`material than might otherwise be desirable considering the pressureunder which the unit may be operated.

In some installations it has been found desirable to provide a shield orbaille for the filter cartridge unit. A very suitable structure is thatshown in Fig. l comprising a cylindrical sheet metal shield 63 open atits top and formed at its bottom with a base 64 provided with a centralopening adapted to receive the core 30. In order to secure the shield tothe cartridge unit so that unit, wing it may be removed together with itas a f washer 60. i

A suitable chaxmel I maybe positioned nearv the top of the'oilcontainerl2 andsecured thereto and act both as-achannel for receiving any oilwhich might passbetweenthe'fcover portion andy the base portion of theoilfcontalner as wellas a 'supporting member between the oil containerand,

the exterior housing il.

In some units. and dependent upon the filtering material used, it may bedesirable toraise the temperature of the incoming oil.

such as the electric resistance heaters 10,- tioned about the/exteriorof theoilcontainer and controlled by suitable thsrmostatic means notv Toprovide against any damage as the result ofr excess pressure which mightbe built up in the filter due to clogging. etc., a relief valve 1i isprovided which, in the event of such stoppage of flow would by-passtheoil coming in through the orince 2l directly into the lowercompartment I. ofthe oil container.

From this description and the drawings, it should be readily understoodthat for servicing the unit shown in Fig. 1 and replacing the filtermaterial l1- the operations will be in thefollowing simple sequence. f

First, Wingnut l1' is removed and then the cover i4 is lifted oil.Thereafterremoval of Vwing nut Il releases theentire filter cartridgeunit which includes thef shield u ii!r that shield is used. Thereupon asuitable tool for engaging the wing nutv l1 may beusedf and the entireunit lifted from the oil container. In some cases, before removal. thewing nut l1 maybe unscrewed and replaced with. a. removing handlesimilar to that shown in ll'lgs.y 6y and 'l' and which will be morefully described hereinafter. The filter cartridge assembly is thus,removedr cover N taken off and the .filter material Il removed.y 'Ihenecessary parts may be cleaned ii.'v desired and, when necessary, gasketll replaced. When desired the filter fabric which surrounds the centralcore may be easily replaced by the removal of the hingedl clampingstructure 42. Thereafter the filter material il is replaced and thecartridge reassem-y bled and placedbackin the container. It should beobserved that placement of the opening Il high in the drain tubeprevents dirty oil which is in the upper compartment from entering it asthe cartridge isv removed. This thus prevents the dirty oil fromjcoming,into the cleandrain oil. tube.

Referring now to lligs'.v 3, 4, and 5 we` observe an oil filterstructure utilizing a multiplicity of filter cartridges in a singlecasing. Any number of cartridges may be used. The unit shown comprises amultiple iilter having four individual.

filter cartridges, each cartridge being oi' arstructure similar to thatdescribed in connection withl Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. These cartridgesgenerally referred to as 'l2 are secured in a manner similar to thatdescribed in connection with Fig'. 1. A

large cylindrical oil container 'I3 is provided with a dividingpartition 14 dividing. the container into an upper compartment 1l andlower compart- As shown. this,v is achieved by means ofy suitableheating unitsv over the bottom threaded n accesar 6 e ment 1B. Aplurality of spaced drain tubes 11 arefmounted on said dividingpartition with openings in communication with the lower compartment.Thesetubesare sumciently spaced so that each is adaptedto receivek 4acartridge filter unit 12.

The oil inlet pipe 1l enters a ballied passageway Il having a series ofstaggered bailles Il thereby providing a tortuous passageway for theincoming oil; This baiiied passageway is positioned in the lowercompartment 'Il and is provided at its outlet, end with an opening Il incommunication with' they upperA compartment Il and provided witharemovable orifice l! similar to the oriilce structure is securedaboutits periphery to the lower portionv oi oil container Il by means of thebolts l5. In view of the fact that the central drain tubes do not extendto a point above the cover ll, it is of course necessary to be sure that`the opening in the top of the drain tubes is properly closed. This maybe done by providing plugs for the drain tube ends or in some othersuitable manner. y

Heating members Il' may be provided and the unit encased in any suitablehousing 86 in a manner similar to that described in connection withFig'. 1.

By the use of this structure in which the dividing partition il isprovided with a multiplicity of upstanding central drain tubes on whichseparate filter cartridges may be secured, there is provided an oilfilter which has great flexibility of capacity and is readily serviced.The capacity of the. unit may be varied by varying the number of ltersused.- The unit is easily serviced because no matter how many cartridgesare used, each remains a standard size suillclently small to enableready handling thereof so that it may be removed and serviced by one manwithout the need for complicated hoisting or other machinery.

It is also observed that by the use of the mul- I tiple cartridges in asingle casing a large filtering areais obtained thus assuring maximumflowoi. the oil for the longest period of time. It should alsoA beobserved that due tothe arrangement of the separate cartridge filters inparallel, in addition to a large filtering area being obtained.

the oil may be passed through the unit utilizing the -same pressure inthe multiple cartridge unit as that used inthe single cartridge unit.

Referringk now to Figs. 6 and 7, it is observed that I have illustratedtherein the use of a special rack for handling the cartridge uponremoval, as well as the use of a special handle i'or removing theycartridge from the oil container.

the cartridges comprises essentially a rectangular'v or similarly shapedbase 90 provided at or near one end with two vertically positioneduprights 9i supporting between them a. pivotal pin 92. Pivoted on thispin is a core tube holding member or spindle 93 which preferably takesthe form of a tubular member adapted to fit within the core 30. Aresting stop 94 is positioned on the tubular member 93 and the tubularmember extends beyond that stop for a sufficient distance to projectinto the core of the cartridge to hold the cartridge securely inposition thereon. A latch 95 and cooperating engaging member II areprovided so that the tubular member 03 may be held in locked uprightposition as shown in Fig. 6.

At the opposite end of the service rack an upstanding member Si isprovided and is adapted to receive and rotatably support the cartridgemember when that member is moved to a horizontally disposed position.

Asl shown, and in preferred form, the service rack is made in twopieces, the one a support from which the uprights 9| and 91 are securedand the other a drain pan SI on which the service rack is placed. Thisstructure permits ease of handling and cleansing. It may be desirable tomake the rack and drain as a single unit and such a structure is withinthe spirit of my invention.

The operation of the service rack is evident from the drawings. Afterthe various securing members have been removed from the unit inassembled position (Fig. 1), the cover 54 is taken ofi and the handlemember 89 is screwed down on to the top of the core. The entirecartridge assembly can then be removed and, as shown in Fig. 6, isplaced upon the tube 93 which is then in latched upright position. Inthis position the entire basket structure 35 and tube 38 can be removedtogether with the used filtering material. The remainder of thecartridge assembly can then be lowered into the position shown in Fig. 7by releasing the latch 95. In this position the coil or tube felt andthe clamp structure can be cleaned by the use of a suitable cleaningfluid and, when necessary, the felts may be replaced by removing theclamping means previously disclosed. Of course,`since the cartridge maybe rotated on the spindle $3, this structure is very useful inreplacement of the felt about the core. Thereafter, the cartridge islifted to its upright position and the tube and supporting basketstructure reinserted and filled with the proper filtering compound-andthen, by means of the handle 89, the cartridge with its clean filteringmaterial is replaced into the oil container, the servicing handle 89removed and the cover 54 put in place and secured by means of the clamps51, and then the entire unit held down as previously described.

It will be seen that by the use of this structure a very efficient andserviceable unit is provided.

As has been previously pointed out, certain variations of this structuremay be resorted to without in any way departing from the invention. ldesire it understood that parts of the invention can be used without thevwhole and that the invention is not to be limited except as required bythe appended claims.

I claim: l

l. A filter comprising a container for receiving liquid, an imperforlteheat-conducting wall separating said container into an upper and lowercompartment, said lower compartment being of substantial volume, inletmeans comprising a conduit extending through said lower compartment andopening into the upper compartment, outlet means opening into the lowercompartmentat a relatively high level thereof, liquid passage meansconnecting said upper and lower compartments, filter means interposedbetween said liquid passage means-and said inlet whereby liquid flowingthrough container is iiltered, and means for heating said liquid, theheat-conducting wallV between said compartments serving to transfer heatfrom said lower compartment to said upper compartment.

2. A filter comprising a container for receiving liquid, a dividing wallwithin said container defining a filter chamber and an outflow chamberof substantial volume, a liquid outflow connection opening into saidoutflow chamber at a hdh point thereof, inlet means including a.heat-conducting imperforate structure disposed within said outflowchamber, said structure having means for discharging inflowing liquidinto said filter chamber and means whereby said iniiowing liquid flowsin a relatively lengthy path before discharging into said filterchamber. means for heating the liquidwithin said filter chamber, andfilter means disposed within said filter compartment, comprising aperforated drain tube secured to and passing through said dividing walland discharging into said outflow chamber, and a filter cartridgeassembly, disposed about said drain tube, whereby liquid passes throughsaid cartridge from the filter chamber to the outdow chamber.

3. A filter comprising a container for receiving liquid, a dividing wallwithin said container defining a filter chamber and an outflow chamberof substantial volume, a liquid outflow connection opening into saidoutflow chamber at a high point thereof, inlet mean; including aheat-conducting imperforate structure disposed within said outfiowchamber, said structure having means for discharging inflowing liquidinto said filter chamber and means whereby said infiowing liquid flowsin a relatively lengthy path before discharging into said filterchamber, and filter means disposed within said filter compartment,comprising a perforated drain tube secured to and passing through saiddividing wall and discharging into said outflow chamber, and a filtercartridge disposed about said drain tube, whereby liquid passes throughsaid cartridge from the filter chamber to the outflow chamber.

4. A filter comprising a container for receiving liquid, a, dividingwall within said container defining a filter chamber and an outflowchamber of substantial volume, a liquid outflow connection opening intosaid outflow chamber at a high point thereof, inlet means including aheat-conducting imperforate structure disposed within said outflowchamber, said structure having means for discharging infiowing liquidinto said filter chamber and means whereby said lnfiowing liquid flowsin a relatively lengthy path before discharging into said filterchamber, means for heating the liquid within said filter chamber, andfilter means disposed within said filter compartment, comprising aperforated drain tube secured to and passing through said dividing walland discharging into said outflow chamber, a filter cartridge assemblydisposed about said drain tube, whereby liquid passes through saidcartridge from the filter chamber to the outflow chamber, said filtercartridge being of substantially less diameter than the filter chamber,the space about said filter 9 cartridge being substantially lled withdiscrete filter material.

5. A illter cartridge assembly, comprising a perforated tube; spacedclosure plates, each having an aperture permitting passage of said tube,disposed adjacent the ends thereof, said closure plates having,respectively, a downwardly and an upwardly facing peripheral wall, aforaminated, relatively rigid cylinder having substantially continuousend walls positioned between said closure plates with the said end wallsclosely adjacent the inner surfaces of the raised walls of said closureplates; a fabric tube disposed substantially in contact with saidforaminated cylinder and having its edges turned over the end walls ofsaid cylinder; lter material within said fabric tube, and means forreducing the spacing between the said closure plates to clamp theforaminated cyllnder and fabric tube therebetween.

THEODORE A LA BRECQUE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,060,901 Smith Nov. 17, 19362,094,043 Marshall v Sept. 28, 1937 2,176,816 Huhn Oct. 17, 1939 NumbervNumber 542,203

10 Name Date Crouse Oct. 13, 1891 Weston July 16, 1901 Stambaugh Jan. 2,1906 Krieck May 14, 1940 Krogman June 23, 1942 Gaertner Feb. 16, 1943Schwalge Jan. 19, 1937 Trebau Aug, 23, 1887 Harlan et al. Apr. 4, 1939Nugent Aug. 27, 1940 Downing July 22, 1941 Ream Nov. 30, 1943 KrogmanJune 23, 1942 Niedens Sept. 19, 1939 Cottrell Dec. 15, 1925 Lomax Aug.10, 1926 Simoneton June 9, 1903 Brownlow Aug. 21, 1888 Houston July 27,1943 Wuest Dec. 4, 1928 Walker May 31, 1927 Renfrew June 12, 1934 Glasset al Nov. 30, 1937 Bolser Oct. 20, 1936 Hewel Feb. 14, 1899 FOREIGNPATINTB Country Date Great Britain Dec. 30. 1941

